Mississippi § 37-16-17 - Career track programs for students not pursuing baccalaureate degree; curriculum; dual-enrollment and dual-credit options.

§ 37-16-17. Career track programs for students not pursuing baccalaureate degree; curriculum; dual-enrollment and dual-credit options.

Purpose. The purpose of this section is to create a quality option in Mississippi’s high schools for students not wishing to pursue a baccalaureate degree, which shall consist of challenging academic courses and modern career-technical studies. The goal for students pursuing the career track is to graduate from high school with a standard diploma and credit toward a community college certification in a career-technical field. These students also shall be encouraged to take the national assessment in the career-technical field in which they become certified. The State Board of Education shall develop and adopt course and curriculum requirements for career track programs offered by local public school boards in accordance with this section. The Mississippi Community College Board and the State Board of Education jointly shall determine course and curriculum requirements for the career track program. Alternative career track; description; curriculum. A career trackshall provide a student with greater technical skill and a strongacademic core and shall be offered to each high school student enrolledin a public school district. The career track program shall be linkedto postsecondary options and shall prepare students to pursue eithera degree or certification from a postsecondary institution, an industry-basedtraining or certification, an apprenticeship, the military, or immediateentrance into a career field. The career track shall be designed primarilyfor those students who are not college bound and shall provide themwith alternatives to entrance into a four-year university or collegeafter high school graduation. Students pursuinga career track shall be afforded the opportunity to dually enrollin a community or technical college or to participate in a businessinternship or work-study program, when such opportunities are availableand appropriate. Each public schooldistrict shall offer a career track program approved by the StateBoard of Education. Students in acareer track program shall complete an academic core of courses anda career and technical sequence of courses. The twenty-one(21) course unit requirements for the career track shall consist ofthe following: At least four(4) English credits, including English I and English II. At least three(3) mathematics credits, including Algebra I. At least three(3) science credits, including one (1) unit of biology. At least three(3) social studies credits, including one (1) unit of U.S. Historyand one (1) unit of Mississippi Studies/U.S. Government. At least one-half(1/2) credit in health or physical education. At least four(4) credits in career and technical education courses in the dualenrollment-dual credit programs authorized under Section 37-15-38. At least one(1) credit in integrated technology with optional end of course testing. At least twoand one-half (2-1/2) credits in additional electives or careerand technical education courses required by the local school board,as approved by the State Board of Education. Academic courses withinthe career track of the standard diploma shall provide the knowledgeand skill necessary for proficiency on the state subject area tests. Nothing in this section shall disallow the development of a dual enrollment program with a technical college so long as an individual school district, with approval from the State Department of Education, agrees to implement such a program in connection with a technical college and the agreement is also approved by the proprietary school’s commission. The career track program for students not pursuing a Baccalaureate Degree shall not be available to any student entering the Ninth Grade in the 2017-2018 school year or thereafter.